OMRI Daily Digest II, No. 183, 20 September 1995

From: "Steve Iatrou" <siatrou@cdsp.neu.edu>

Open Media Research Institute Directory

CONTENTS

  • [1] ALLIES NOW CONTROL 60% OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA.

  • [2] BOSNIA, CROATIA AGREE TO HALT OFFENSIVE.

  • [3] FATE OF BANJA LUKA HANGS IN THE BALANCE.

  • [4] CROATIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES ELECTION LAW.

  • [5] SERBIAN UPDATE.

  • [6] ILIESCU ON NATO, RUSSIA.

  • [7] TOUGH ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ADOPTED IN ROMANIA.

  • [8] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT RESUMES WORK.

  • [9] DNIESTER AUTHORITIES BAN LATIN SCRIPT.

  • [10] PARLIAMENTARY CONTROL OVER BULGARIAN STATE MEDIA UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

  • [11] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS NAME SOFIA MAYORAL CANDIDATE.

  • [12] ALBANIAN COURT RULES AGAINST EX-PREMIER.

    •

    OMRI DAILY DIGEST

    No. 183, Part II, 20 September 1995

    SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

    [1] ALLIES NOW CONTROL 60% OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA.

    Croatian, Bosnian, and Bosnian Croat forces hold 60% of Bosnia. The 20 September Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung added that it has been confirmed that the Croats have taken Bosanska Kostajnica and Bosanska Dubica, while the Bosnian Fifth Corps has moved into Bosanski Novi. The fate of Prijedor remains unclear. Reuters on 19 September noted that government troops have also made major gains in the Ozren salient and that "the new line runs from Rjecice, north of Maglaj, to Bosansko Petrovo in the east." The BBC reported that Croatian and Bosnian authorities have agreed on who will administer the various territories "regardless of who liberated them." Meanwhile around Sarajevo, Bosnian Serbs continued to pull their heavy weapons out of the exclusion zone. In New York, the UN Security Council condemned the Serbs for the death of two Danish peacekeepers near Bihac. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc., OMRI, Inc.

    [2] BOSNIA, CROATIA AGREE TO HALT OFFENSIVE.

    International media on 19 September reported that Croatian President Franjo Tudjman met in Zagreb with his Bosnian counterpart Alija Izetbegovic and Bosnian Croat leader, Kresimir Zubak. The two countries' foreign ministers were also present, along with the Croatian defense minister and the Bosnian chief-of-staff. The two sides agreed to suspend their military advance to allow U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke, who was also present, an opportunity to explore the chances for a political solution. The diplomat said that things were coming along "step by step." U.S. Senate majority leader Bob Dole stated that despite his great admiration for the U.S. negotiators, the actions on the ground were having a greater impact than "all the skills of the U.S. diplomats put together," Croatian media noted. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [3] FATE OF BANJA LUKA HANGS IN THE BALANCE.

    Bosnian Foreign Minister Muhamed Sacirbey told AFP on 19 September that his troops would not enter Banja Luka in order to facilitate a peaceful settlement and to prevent panic. Reuters the next day said, however, that Bosnia still insists on "the effective surrender" of the Serbian stronghold. The BBC quoted Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic as warning the Serbs that an attack could come if they continued to resist reintegration into the republic. Nasa Borba said on 20 September that "there is no [Bosnian Serb] state without Banja Luka." Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic stated that his forces will "take revenge" now that they have "consolidated their defenses." His "vice president," Nikola Koljevic, told AFP that his people would reject Sacirbey's offer of dialogue and that the allied advance was "very bad for the peace process." -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [4] CROATIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES ELECTION LAW.

    Croatian media continue to report that the Sabor is discussing a bill introduced by the ruling Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ). President Franjo Tudjman is expected to call early elections to the lower house by the end of the year to enable the HDZ to capitalize on the popularity of the army's recent successes against the Serbs. The bill would reduce the number of seats from 138 to 127, of which 80 would be elected by party lists and only 28 by a direct district vote. An additional 12 deputies would be elected by party lists among the 420,000 registered voters working abroad. A party would need 5% of the total vote, instead of the current 3%, to gain entry into the parliament. All these measures are expected to favor the HDZ, which also enjoys control over the most important media as well as substantial funds. -- Patrick Moore, OMRI, Inc.

    [5] SERBIAN UPDATE.

    Nasa Borba on 20 September reported that Vojislav Seselj, leader of the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) and accused war criminal, has reissued a call to Belgrade citizens to assemble outside the federal legislature on 21 September to protest NATO air strikes against Bosnian Serbs and the policies of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. He also invited representatives of the opposition Democratic Party and Democratic Party of Serbia to attend, advising participants to leave all weapons at home. In another development, Orthodox Church leaders in the rump Yugoslavia appear to be allying ever closer with ultranationalist sentiment. BETA on 19 September reported that Metropolitan Radovic has sent U.S. President Bill Clinton a letter condemning American involvement in recent NATO air strikes against Bosnian Serbs and alleging "genocide" against the Serbs. -- Stan Markotich, OMRI, Inc.

    [6] ILIESCU ON NATO, RUSSIA.

    Romanian President Ion Iliescu was quoted by Radio Bucharest on 19 September as saying that his country's "participation in joint exercises with NATO within the Partnership for Peace program and the wish to join [that organization were] not directed against anyone, hence not against Russia either." He added that Romanian was seeing NATO's presence in Eastern Europe as a factor of stability. Iliescu was speaking in Bucharest at a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart, Algirdas Brazauskas. -- Dan Ionescu, OMRI, Inc.

    [7] TOUGH ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ADOPTED IN ROMANIA.

    The Romanian Senate on 19 September passed the Law on Environmental Protection that severely punishes individuals or enterprises that cause massive pollution, Radio Bucharest reported. The bill provides for prison terms of between six and 10 years for failing to take emergency steps in case of nuclear accidents or for deliberately releasing toxic substances into natural waters. The import of toxic waste is punished with up to six years in jail. -- Dan Ionescu, OMRI, Inc.

    [8] MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT RESUMES WORK.

    The parliament of the Republic of Moldova on 19 September reconvened after the summer recess, BASA-press and Infotag reported. In an inaugural address, parliamentary chairman Petru Lucinschi warned against increasing polarization as a result of the current political crisis in the country. The main opposition party, the Christian Democratic Popular Front (FPCD), announced that its deputies might walk out if the executive and legislative did not reveal what efforts have been made to free the so called "Ilascu group," jailed in the breakaway Dniester region. FPCD Chairman Iurie Rosca was quoted as saying that his party repeatedly asked the authorities in Chisinau to intervene on the behalf of Ilie Ilascu and his associates, who are being detained in Tiraspol under charges of terrorism. -- Dan Ionescu, OMRI, Inc.

    [9] DNIESTER AUTHORITIES BAN LATIN SCRIPT.

    All schools in Moldova's breakaway Dniester region that "provide education in Moldovan based on the Latin script" will be closed down by 10 November, the local authorities announced on 19 September. Tiraspol accused Chisinau of breaking earlier agreements by helping finance Latin-script tuition on the left Dniester bank. A Moldovan Education Ministry official said that all Romanian-language schools in the Dniester region would be transferred to the right bank of the Dniester River if Tiraspol enforced its restrictions. -- Dan Ionescu, OMRI, Inc.

    [10] PARLIAMENTARY CONTROL OVER BULGARIAN STATE MEDIA UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

    The Constitutional Court on 19 September ruled that the parliament's control over the state media is unconstitutional, Demokratsiya reported the following day. Under a "provisional status" adopted in 1991, Bulgarian state television, radio, and the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency are controlled by a parliamentary committee pending the adoption of a new media law, which has yet to be passed. The Constitutional Court ruled that the committee may appoint the directors-general of the three state media but will no longer be entitled to approve regulations, structures, programming, financing, or the board of directors. The court also ruled that the president, prime minister, chairman of the parliament, and representatives of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts will have unlimited access to TV and radio but that the heads of parliamentary committees will no longer enjoy this privilege. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [11] BULGARIAN SOCIALISTS NAME SOFIA MAYORAL CANDIDATE.

    The Sofia organization of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) on 19 September named Ventsislav Yosifov as its mayoral candidate for the upcoming local elections, Duma reported the following day. In a first vote, the BSP delegates decided to support a nominally independent rather than a party candidate. In a second vote, Yosifov won the nomination over Aleksandar Karakachanov of the Green Party. Yosifov is head of the First Private Bank; his candidacy was proposed initially by a so-called initiative committee. -- Stefan Krause, OMRI, Inc.

    [12] ALBANIAN COURT RULES AGAINST EX-PREMIER.

    Albania's Constitutional Court on 19 September ruled that the Supreme Court is neither legally nor constitutionally empowered to hear an appeal sought by jailed Socialist leader and former Premier Fatos Nano. Nano has been serving a 12-year sentence since April 1994 partly for his role in a funds misappropriation scandal. Supreme Court Chair Zef Brozi, who has been seeking greater judicial autonomy for the court, said he was not certain how the Supreme Court justices would react to the Constitutional Court's ruling, Reuters reported. -- Stan Markotich, OMRI, Inc.

    This material was reprinted with permission of the Open Media Research Institute, a nonprofit organization with research offices in Prague, Czech Republic.
    For more information on OMRI publications please write to info@omri.cz

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